Art Nouveau, 1890-1914

Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: A book of incredible detail and beauty. I first saw this book in my local library and decided I simply must have it. There are print art, furniture and jewellry, arcitecture examples and more. Worth the purchase price to the last penny!

Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: A book of incredible detail and beauty. I first saw this book in my local library and decided I simply must have it. There are print art, furniture and jewellry, arcitecture examples and more. Worth the purchase price to the last penny!

Rating:
Summary: This is THE BOOK on Art Nouveau.
Review: First off, thank you Paul! I have loved Art Nouveau from childhood, before I ever knew what the style was called. It is somewhere in my blood. ART NOUVEAU, 1890-1914 (pronounced Art Newvo) is like something from a dream. The photographs alone are worth buying this book for!

Here are the chapters along with two or more of my favorite works from each:

1 THE STYLE AND THE AGE
Emile Galle' "Hand." Hot-worked glass with patination. French, 1904. Victor Horta, Hotel Tassel (Tassel House) First-floor landing with view towards staircase. Brussels, 1893.
2 ALTERNATE HISTORIES
Gustav Klimt, Pallas Athene. Oil on Canvas, Austrian, 1898. Museen der Stadt Wien, Vienna. / Doorway with two jambs and a pillar from the 11th-century church at Urnes, Norway. Late 19th-century plaster cast.
3 THE CULT OF NATURE
Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, pair of magnolia lamps. Gilt bronze and carved glass. French, c.1903. / Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, Le Figuier de Barbarie. Lamp of patinated bronze and carved glass. French, 1903.
4 SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE
"Spiritualism: In philosophy the state or condition of mind opposed to materialism or a material conception of things." Madame Blavatsky, Theosophic Glossary, 1892.
Rene Lilique, Dragonfly Woman*** corsage ornament. Gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones and diamonds. French, c.1897-98. Calouste Gullbenkian Museum, Lisbon. / Gustav Klimt, Judith II (Salome). Oil on canvas. Austrian, 1909.
5 THE LITERARY HERITAGE
6 ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
Tsuba (sword guard). Iron with gold and silver inlay. Japanese, c.1700-1800. / Inro (small container). Wood with black, gold and brown lacquer and glazed pottery., Japanese, c. 1775-1800. Signed Mochizuki Hanzan.
7 ARABESQUES: NORTH AFRICA, ARABIA AND EUROPE
(left and right) Glass flasks from Persia (Iran). c, 1885. / (centre) Glass flask by L.C. Tiffany & Co. ***American, 1896.
8 LE STYLE ANGLAIS: ENGLISH ROOTS OF THE NEW ART

James McNeill Whistler, Peacock Room for the Frederic Leyland Hourse, 1876. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. / Alexander Fisher, peacock sconce.** Steel, bronze, silver, brass and enamel. English, c.1889.
9 THE AGE OF PAPER
Camille Martin, Portfolio, L'Estampe orignale.* Tooled mosaic leather. French, 1893. / Henri Bellery-Desfontaines, L'Enigme. Colour lithograph. French, 1898.
10 MOULDING WOOD: CRAFTSMANSHIP IN FURNITURE
Rupert Carabin, table, Wood. French, 1896. [I wish you could see this photo.** Two nude women on either side of the rectangular table have arms outstretched to hold the x top left of it, and their heads are the top right side of the x and their knees are bent to go down the bottom right of the x respectively.] / Eugene Gaillard, dining room** [black and white but oh I can see it in full color!] L'Art Nouveau Bing, Expositioin Universelle, Paris, 1900.
11 THE NEW TEXTILES
Henry van de Velde, dress** Belgian, 1900. / Otto Eckmann, Five Swans. Woven tapestry. German, 1896-97.
12 THE NEW CERAMICS: ENGAGING WITH THE SPIRIT
Agathon Leonard, part of a table setting: Jeu de l'echarpe. Porcelain.* French, 1898. / Weduwe N.S.A. Brantjes, dish.** Earthenware, Dutch, c.1900.
13 THE NEW GLASS: A SYNTHESIS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DREAMS
Louise Comfort Tiffany, vase.** Glass with applied and marvered colours, combed. American, 1895.
14 MODERN METAL
Horta House, view from the music room towards the dining room. *** 1898-1900. /Fernand Dubois, candelabra.** Electro-plated bronze. Belgian, c.1889.
15 JEWELLERY AND THE ART OF THE GOLDSMITH [one of my favorite chapters]
Phillipe Wolfers, orchid hair ornament, gold, enamel, diamonds and rubies.*** Belgian, 1902. / Ren' Lilique, iris bracelet.*** Gold, enamel and opals. French, 1897. / Rene Lalique, damselflies necklace.*** Gold, enamel, aquamarines and diamonds. French, c.1900-02. / Rene Lalique, winged female figure.*** Bronze. French, c.1899-1900. / Alphonse Mucha, bodice ornament.*** Gold, ivory, enamel, opals, pearls, and coloured gemstones. Czech, c.1900.

Ok, time for just the chapter titles and most essential loves listed from each chapter. This gives you an idea of how comprehensive this book is!

16 THE CONCENTRATED ESSENCE OF A WRIGGLE: ART NOUVEAU SCULPTURE
Jean Dampt, The Fairy Melusine and the Knight Raymondin. French, 1894.
17 THE PARISIAN SITUATION: HECTOR GUIMARD AND THE EMERGENCE OF ART NOUVEAU
Hector Guimard, principal entrance to Le Castel Beranger.** Paris, 1898.
18 VICTOR HORTA AND BRUSSELS
All the photos from the Victor Horta House!
19 MUNICH: SECESSION AND JUGENDSTIL
Franz von Stuck, The Sin. Oil on canvas. German, c.1906.
20 SECESSION IN VIENNA
Josef Hoffmann, Palais Stoclet, detail of tower.** Brussels, 1905-11.
21 GLASGOW: THE DARK DAUGHTER OF THE NORTH
22 LOUIS SULLIVAN AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
Adler and Sullivan, Transportation Building, Columbian Worlds Fair. Chicago, 1893.
23 BARCELONA: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERNITY
Lluis Domenech i Montaner, auditorium of Palau de Musica Catalana.*** Barcelona, 1905-08. / Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, detail of fascade.*** Barcelona, 1904-06. / And all photos of Antoni Gaudi, Sagrada Familia!***
24 BUDAPEST: INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS AND NATIONAL CAPITAL
Odon Lechner, interior of The Museum of Applied Arts.*** Budapest, 1896./ Zsolnay factory, vase. Prcelain-faience covered in Eozin glaze.** Hungarian, 1899.
25 THE NEW ART IN PRAGUE (where my violin was made)
Oswald Polivka, entrance to the Novak Building.** Nove Mesto, prague, 1901-04./ Interior and exterior photos of Osvald Polivka and Antonin Balsanek, the Municipal House
26 HELINSINKI: SAARINEN AND FINNISH JUGEND
27 MOSCOW MODERN
Elena Polenova, plate from Mir Isskustva. St. Petersburg, 1900.
/ Fyodor Shekhtel, both photos from the Riabushinsky mansion.*** Moscow 1900-02.
28 LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY AND NEW YORK [another one of my favorite chapters--I adore L.C.T!]
Everything! Four Seasons window. Leaded favrile glass. American, 1897.
29 TURIN: STILE FLOREALE, A LIBERTY FOR ITALY?
The coolest chair I've seen in a long time: Carlo Bugatti, chair.*** Parchment over wood, copper, paint. Italian, 1902.
30 A STRANGE DEATH...
"Decorative Art can no longer exist any more than the 'style' themselves...Culture has taken a step forward and the hierarchical system of decoration has collapsed." Le Corbusier, L'Art decoratif d'aujourd'hui, 1925.
ILLUSTRATED OBJECT LIST: ART NOUVEAU 1890-1914 EXHIBITION, NATIONAL GALERY OF ART, WASHINGTON. Perhaps the best for last, has thumbnails of 375 additional pieces! I love it!

Listening to King Crimson The Power to Believe...awesome too.
Soar!

Rating:
Summary: ALL ART NOUVEAU FANS MUST SEE THIS!
Review: First off, thank you Paul! I have loved Art Nouveau from childhood, before I ever knew what the style was called. It is somewhere in my blood. ART NOUVEAU, 1890-1914 (pronounced Art Newvo) is like something from a dream. The photographs alone are worth buying this book for!

Here are the chapters along with two or more of my favorite works from each:

1 THE STYLE AND THE AGE
Emile Galle' "Hand." Hot-worked glass with patination. French, 1904. Victor Horta, Hotel Tassel (Tassel House) First-floor landing with view towards staircase. Brussels, 1893.
2 ALTERNATE HISTORIES
Gustav Klimt, Pallas Athene. Oil on Canvas, Austrian, 1898. Museen der Stadt Wien, Vienna. / Doorway with two jambs and a pillar from the 11th-century church at Urnes, Norway. Late 19th-century plaster cast.
3 THE CULT OF NATURE
Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, pair of magnolia lamps. Gilt bronze and carved glass. French, c.1903. / Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, Le Figuier de Barbarie. Lamp of patinated bronze and carved glass. French, 1903.
4 SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE
"Spiritualism: In philosophy the state or condition of mind opposed to materialism or a material conception of things." Madame Blavatsky, Theosophic Glossary, 1892.
Rene Lilique, Dragonfly Woman*** corsage ornament. Gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones and diamonds. French, c.1897-98. Calouste Gullbenkian Museum, Lisbon. / Gustav Klimt, Judith II (Salome). Oil on canvas. Austrian, 1909.
5 THE LITERARY HERITAGE
6 ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
Tsuba (sword guard). Iron with gold and silver inlay. Japanese, c.1700-1800. / Inro (small container). Wood with black, gold and brown lacquer and glazed pottery., Japanese, c. 1775-1800. Signed Mochizuki Hanzan.
7 ARABESQUES: NORTH AFRICA, ARABIA AND EUROPE
(left and right) Glass flasks from Persia (Iran). c, 1885. / (centre) Glass flask by L.C. Tiffany & Co. ***American, 1896.
8 LE STYLE ANGLAIS: ENGLISH ROOTS OF THE NEW ART

James McNeill Whistler, Peacock Room for the Frederic Leyland Hourse, 1876. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. / Alexander Fisher, peacock sconce.** Steel, bronze, silver, brass and enamel. English, c.1889.
9 THE AGE OF PAPER
Camille Martin, Portfolio, L'Estampe orignale.* Tooled mosaic leather. French, 1893. / Henri Bellery-Desfontaines, L'Enigme. Colour lithograph. French, 1898.
10 MOULDING WOOD: CRAFTSMANSHIP IN FURNITURE
Rupert Carabin, table, Wood. French, 1896. [I wish you could see this photo.** Two nude women on either side of the rectangular table have arms outstretched to hold the x top left of it, and their heads are the top right side of the x and their knees are bent to go down the bottom right of the x respectively.] / Eugene Gaillard, dining room** [black and white but oh I can see it in full color!] L'Art Nouveau Bing, Expositioin Universelle, Paris, 1900.
11 THE NEW TEXTILES
Henry van de Velde, dress** Belgian, 1900. / Otto Eckmann, Five Swans. Woven tapestry. German, 1896-97.
12 THE NEW CERAMICS: ENGAGING WITH THE SPIRIT
Agathon Leonard, part of a table setting: Jeu de l'echarpe. Porcelain.* French, 1898. / Weduwe N.S.A. Brantjes, dish.** Earthenware, Dutch, c.1900.
13 THE NEW GLASS: A SYNTHESIS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DREAMS
Louise Comfort Tiffany, vase.** Glass with applied and marvered colours, combed. American, 1895.
14 MODERN METAL
Horta House, view from the music room towards the dining room. *** 1898-1900. /Fernand Dubois, candelabra.** Electro-plated bronze. Belgian, c.1889.
15 JEWELLERY AND THE ART OF THE GOLDSMITH [one of my favorite chapters]
Phillipe Wolfers, orchid hair ornament, gold, enamel, diamonds and rubies.*** Belgian, 1902. / Ren' Lilique, iris bracelet.*** Gold, enamel and opals. French, 1897. / Rene Lalique, damselflies necklace.*** Gold, enamel, aquamarines and diamonds. French, c.1900-02. / Rene Lalique, winged female figure.*** Bronze. French, c.1899-1900. / Alphonse Mucha, bodice ornament.*** Gold, ivory, enamel, opals, pearls, and coloured gemstones. Czech, c.1900.

Ok, time for just the chapter titles and most essential loves listed from each chapter. This gives you an idea of how comprehensive this book is!

16 THE CONCENTRATED ESSENCE OF A WRIGGLE: ART NOUVEAU SCULPTURE
Jean Dampt, The Fairy Melusine and the Knight Raymondin. French, 1894.
17 THE PARISIAN SITUATION: HECTOR GUIMARD AND THE EMERGENCE OF ART NOUVEAU
Hector Guimard, principal entrance to Le Castel Beranger.** Paris, 1898.
18 VICTOR HORTA AND BRUSSELS
All the photos from the Victor Horta House!
19 MUNICH: SECESSION AND JUGENDSTIL
Franz von Stuck, The Sin. Oil on canvas. German, c.1906.
20 SECESSION IN VIENNA
Josef Hoffmann, Palais Stoclet, detail of tower.** Brussels, 1905-11.
21 GLASGOW: THE DARK DAUGHTER OF THE NORTH
22 LOUIS SULLIVAN AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
Adler and Sullivan, Transportation Building, Columbian Worlds Fair. Chicago, 1893.
23 BARCELONA: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERNITY
Lluis Domenech i Montaner, auditorium of Palau de Musica Catalana.*** Barcelona, 1905-08. / Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, detail of fascade.*** Barcelona, 1904-06. / And all photos of Antoni Gaudi, Sagrada Familia!***
24 BUDAPEST: INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS AND NATIONAL CAPITAL
Odon Lechner, interior of The Museum of Applied Arts.*** Budapest, 1896./ Zsolnay factory, vase. Prcelain-faience covered in Eozin glaze.** Hungarian, 1899.
25 THE NEW ART IN PRAGUE (where my violin was made)
Oswald Polivka, entrance to the Novak Building.** Nove Mesto, prague, 1901-04./ Interior and exterior photos of Osvald Polivka and Antonin Balsanek, the Municipal House
26 HELINSINKI: SAARINEN AND FINNISH JUGEND
27 MOSCOW MODERN
Elena Polenova, plate from Mir Isskustva. St. Petersburg, 1900.
/ Fyodor Shekhtel, both photos from the Riabushinsky mansion.*** Moscow 1900-02.
28 LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY AND NEW YORK [another one of my favorite chapters--I adore L.C.T!]
Everything! Four Seasons window. Leaded favrile glass. American, 1897.
29 TURIN: STILE FLOREALE, A LIBERTY FOR ITALY?
The coolest chair I've seen in a long time: Carlo Bugatti, chair.*** Parchment over wood, copper, paint. Italian, 1902.
30 A STRANGE DEATH...
"Decorative Art can no longer exist any more than the 'style' themselves...Culture has taken a step forward and the hierarchical system of decoration has collapsed." Le Corbusier, L'Art decoratif d'aujourd'hui, 1925.
ILLUSTRATED OBJECT LIST: ART NOUVEAU 1890-1914 EXHIBITION, NATIONAL GALERY OF ART, WASHINGTON. Perhaps the best for last, has thumbnails of 375 additional pieces! I love it!

Listening to King Crimson The Power to Believe...awesome too.
Soar!

Rating:
Summary: comprehensive
Review: This book is comprehensive and wonderful. You travel through the time and places where the style was taking shape. I was fortunate to see the fabulous exhibit (to which the book is the companion) at the National Museum in Washington, D.C. I was so pleased to find that the book was so exquistly done. It captures a vast array of pieces from the exhibit and dipicts them beautifully (I noticed one Lalique piece that is stunningly captured in this book yet is fuzzy in a Lalique book). There was no question I was going to purchase this tome despite having to lug it around while I explored the rest of the D.C. sites.

Rating:
Summary: An encyclopedic presentation of beauty and history
Review: this book is one of the most valuable in my personal library -- not only are the pictures gorgeous, but the text provides historical context and thus enriches the entire presentation. i enthusiastically looked at every page, and was flabbergasted by some of the objets d'art. the things people can dream of! the things they can make from raw materials... it's simply amazing, especially lalique's jewelry. one of the aspects of this book that i most admire is it's equal treatment of different forms: architecture, graphic design, jewelry, furniture, visual media, sculpture, and urban planning are all addressed. i wish it had spoken more about the music, poetry, and dance of the time, but that's not a complaint. the book is huge, but well organized into regional sections (france, spain, usa, etc) and gives biographical info about the artists as well. i am going to go back to europe again when i can, specifically to see the homes photographed in this amazing anthology. given the size and the amount of info, as well as the quality of the photographs, the price for this book is unbeatable. buy this collection -- you won't regret it at all! note: this book would be particularly useful to those interested in art history, nature in art, photography, and movement in art (note that loie fuller is a heavy influence on the form in france, and thus students of choreography/dance history should be familiar with this period in art)

Rating:
Summary: An encyclopedic presentation of beauty and history
Review: this book is one of the most valuable in my personal library -- not only are the pictures gorgeous, but the text provides historical context and thus enriches the entire presentation. i enthusiastically looked at every page, and was flabbergasted by some of the objets d'art. the things people can dream of! the things they can make from raw materials... it's simply amazing, especially lalique's jewelry. one of the aspects of this book that i most admire is it's equal treatment of different forms: architecture, graphic design, jewelry, furniture, visual media, sculpture, and urban planning are all addressed. i wish it had spoken more about the music, poetry, and dance of the time, but that's not a complaint. the book is huge, but well organized into regional sections (france, spain, usa, etc) and gives biographical info about the artists as well. i am going to go back to europe again when i can, specifically to see the homes photographed in this amazing anthology. given the size and the amount of info, as well as the quality of the photographs, the price for this book is unbeatable. buy this collection -- you won't regret it at all! note: this book would be particularly useful to those interested in art history, nature in art, photography, and movement in art (note that loie fuller is a heavy influence on the form in france, and thus students of choreography/dance history should be familiar with this period in art)

Rating:
Summary: All the pictures are color!!!!
Review: This is a rare gem among art histories: A well researched book that an average person will enjoy as much as a researcher. What makes this book stand out from other books about art nouveau is how thorough it is (It is phone book thick) and the quantity and quality of the pictures. All the reproductions of art in this book are color, with the obvious exception of older photographs of artists and occasionally architecture or artifacts that no longer exist except in black and white pictures.

The book takes the theory that art nouveau was part of a social response to industrialization. So the art is defined as art that used a return to nature or investigation into magic to try to make sense of the world. Art works are organized by what materials they were created from (jewelry, ceramics, textile, commercial advertising prints). Paintings and some examples of the other medias are grouped by country with a historical write on art nouveau in that geographical region.

This book is great. The high quality color reproductions and so many of them are worth looking through again and again. If you are at all into art nouveau then you are likely to love this book. Libraries should make this available because of the wonderful high quality color reproductions.

Rating:
Summary: This is THE BOOK on Art Nouveau.
Review: This is the book to get on Art Nouveau. The authoritative essays are well annotated, and an excellent bibliography is included. The illustrations are very fine. Of course this is a nice "coffee table book," but really this is a wonderful reference book for scholars of the Fin de Siècle-Belle Époque. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: This is THE BOOK on Art Nouveau.
Review: This is the book to get on Art Nouveau. The authoritative essays are well annotated, and an excellent bibliography is included. The illustrations are very fine. Of course this is a nice "coffee table book," but really this is a wonderful reference book for scholars of the Fin de Siècle-Belle Époque. Highly recommended!